Must Be Doing Something Right
by everg8er23
Summary: After the events of EatG, Jen and Rodney find themselves with time to spare so they take a trip to Rodney’s cabin in the Canadian wilderness. But you know these two couldn’t have a quiet vacation. Established McKeller.


**Title: Must Be Doing Something Right**

**Rating: K+ for language**

**Summary: After the events of EatG, Jen and Rodney find themselves with time to spare so they take a trip to Rodney's cabin in the Canadian wilderness. But you know these two couldn't have a quiet vacation. Established McKeller.**

**A/N: I used to be as anti-McKeller as humanly possible… but then I watched Brain Storm. And well I guess you could say I've seen the light. Isn't it shiny? Hmm, I've been working on this awhile and I finished just in time for Valentine's Day. Something things just work out well. Enjoy!  
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**"Rodney McKay I have never seen anyone less able to concentrate on driving than you at this moment." Jennifer Keller teased from the passenger seat in Rodney's silver Honda Civic. She was wearing blue jeans and a tight fitting green sweater. Her brown hair was partially hidden under a damp black hat, from which a few mangled snowflakes were still clinging.

Rodney wrenched his eyes from the beautiful doctor to refocus on the snow covered pavement in front of him. The road leading to his family's cabin wasn't exactly what you would call straight and under the best conditions he was normally very cautious while driving on it. But this particular time there was something very distracting sitting in his car, namely a slightly damp doctor who had a line of water trickling slowly down the side of her cheek. About fifteen seconds ago it had caught McKay's eye and all he'd been able to think was how much he'd like to brush it away just so he could feel her soft skin under his fingers.

The astrophysicist wasn't usually someone to get caught up in, or even pay attention to, the little details of another person. But Jennifer had changed all of that, turning him into one of _those_ guys. The guy who would lay down his jacket just so she wouldn't have to walk through a puddle of water, or who would save the last bit of blue Jello just because it was her favorite too, or even the guy who would attempt to be humble when it was really the least likely character trait he could ever acquire. Yes, Rodney McKay had really, truly become a man in love.

"So how much further is it anyway? I feel like we've been driving for hours." Jen asked, as she leaned forward to stretch. The stretch revealed a hint of skin at her lower back and Rodney had to remind himself for the umpteenth time that he better watch the road.

"Only another fifteen miles to go. When I said secluded I wasn't kidding. There isn't another soul around here for miles. I mean this place is so isolated you can't even get a plumber to come out. I remember one summer when my sister and I were here with our parents the toilet backed up and we had to use the great outdoors. One day I was out there, you know, taking care of business and this bear comes out of nowhere, not ten feet from me. I think that's the only time in my life I've literally had the shit scared out of me."

"Charming image." Jen teased lightly. She was really enjoying this side of the irate scientist. When the world didn't need saving, when there were no other scientists to compete with, or get in the way, Rodney was actually pleasant. Not that Jen didn't already know that he was _capable_ of being pleasant; it was just that the charm was usually hidden under layers of hostility and self defense.

"So what do you want to do first when we get there? We could chop firewood or start cooking all this food you think we need." He waved a hand to the back seat which was crammed with over flowing shopping bags.

"Have you seen yourself eat?" She paused, and then asked in a slightly sultry tone, "Don't you have anything more romantic we could do?"

"Oh well, I'm pretty sure the chess board is still up there." After seeing the look on his passenger's face he added in an offhand manner. "There is always the hot tub."

Jen smacked him playfully on the arm, "You didn't tell me you have a hot tub. I didn't bring my swim suit."

"That's okay," he replied with a smirk. "I don't have - "

"RODNEY! Watch out!"

It took half a millisecond for Rodney to discover what the problem was, another millisecond for his body to start reacting, and another thirty seconds before the car stopped moving. By the time either of the car's occupants was able to observe their surroundings the object had disappeared from the middle of the road.

Coming to, Rodney took in the tree and his crushed in hood before realizing what had happened. "Jennifer, are you alright?" He asked before he even had time to realize that he was the one bleeding. Extending a hand he touched Jen's neck. It was very accessible due to the fact that she was slumped forward in her seat, her head resting on the dashboard, hair streaked across her face. Before his battered fingers had even had time to find a pulse, Jen was groaning and repositioning to sit upright.

"I'm fine." She replied quickly, seeing the look of terror on her companion's face, "I just had the wind knocked out of me. Oh god."

The last statement make little sense to Rodney, who, thanks to the adrenaline, could barely feel the oozing gash on his forehead.

"Ooh, I'm going to have to take a look at that."

Following her gaze, Rodney looked upwards before bringing a hand up to feel the cut. He was mildly surprised to feel the sticky warmth of blood on his fingers.

"You're sure you're okay?"

Used to the hypochondriac side of Dr. McKay, Jennifer was caught off guard by his disregard for himself, even though he looked like he should be in a lot of pain. "I'm fine." She repeated, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

Quickly unbuckling herself, she got out of the car, intent on retrieving the first aid kit she had brought along. As a medical doctor she didn't like the idea of not having the proper supplies in case anything went wrong. Like her boyfriend driving into a tree to avoid hitting massive wildlife in the middle of the road. Finding the case quickly in the trunk, she hurried back into the car. Not relishing the bitter temperature outside. Along the same line of thought she rescued her and Rodney's jackets from the back seat, and the mounds of food on top of them. Gingerly she wrapped one around Rodney, worried about shock.

"How's your head feel?" She asked as she searched for gauze and antiseptic in her kit.

"Oh, you mean aside from leaking out my vital life force? Not bad."

"No headache?" She queried, worried that he may have a concussion. "You hit the steering wheel pretty hard."

"Like someone dropped a bowling ball on my forehead. How come the airbags didn't go off?"

"Huh?" Jen muttered only half paying attention. She had located the needed supplies and was dapping antiseptic onto a Q-tip.

"The car is hugging this tree so well you'd think it was a member of the Sierra Club, why didn't the airbags go off?"

"You don't suppose it was the Wraith trying to get us while we're on vacation? Hold still." She grabbed Rodney's chin gently, but firmly, so she could clean the wound.

"What? No. But I just had this thing in the garage. Oh, I bet it was that Jim fellow he is always- ow!"

"Don't be such a baby." The doctor admonished, but nevertheless she kissed his forehead after she had secured the bandage with tape. "Take these. They'll help with the headache." She handed him two ibuprofen.

"How does it look? Do I look like one of those villains from the forties?" Not waiting for an answer, Rodney checked in the rear view mirror. Oh, I knew it." Holding out his hands in a bad Frankenstein impression he made a moaning noise which only succeeded in making Jennifer giggle uncontrollably.

"But really, I'm not going to need stitches or anything right? Because I really don't want you to have perform some crazy back woods surgery on me."

"Rodney, relax. You're going to be fine."

"Are you sure, because in the movies when people are stranded in the middle of nowhere and have huge cuts on their heads they always need stitches."

"We're not in a movie."

"Still- wait, we're stranded in the middle of nowhere!"

Smiling at how Rodney's voice had raised an octave, Jen thought this wasn't really the time to laugh at how her boyfriend reacted under stress. "But we've got cell phones."

"Yeah, the chances of us actually having signal out here…" He trailed off as Jen pulled out his cell from the glove box. There was a single gleaming bar showing in the top right corner. An observer may have thought that the phone was a bottle of water to a dying man in the desert the way Rodney's eyes popped as he stared at it. "Hand it over slowly. We don't know how long that is going to last."

Jen, no matter how strangely she thought Rodney was acting, did as requested. "You don't really think that the signal is going to disappear, do you?" She was trying to joke, but at the same time wondered what would happen if that were true and they wound up with no cell service.

Taking the phone gingerly, Rodney replied, "It's a miracle we've got service at all. I don't think I've ever seen a phone with even one bar out this far. Dammit! Oh no no no no no." He began holding the phone out at odd angles. He looked just like a blind man looking for a fly that was buzzing somewhere close by.

"It didn't?" Jen asked incredulously.

"Oh yes." He whisked out of the car so fast Keller thought he may have given himself whiplash. It took him nearly ten minutes to give up the frantic search for reception and return to the car. After a moment he asked, "Where's yours?"

Jen cringed apologetically. "It's dead. I didn't get a chance to charge it before we left. I thought I'd charge it at the cabin. Sorry."

Though Rodney felt slightly deflated after the admission he shrugged it off. "Ah well, it probably wouldn't work anyway. So, I guess we're going to get out of here somehow else." He managed in an uncharacteristically optimistic tone. He glanced at the key in the ignition. He couldn't remember turning it off after they'd hit, though it clearly was in the off position. Glancing back up at Jen he saw that her eyes were also on the key.

"You don't think…?" She began slowly.

They both sat for a few moments staring at the key before Rodney gathered himself. "Here goes nothing." He turned it. There was a series of clicking noises then silence.

"Come on!" The astrophysicist tried again and then again, and then one more time just for good measure each try only managing a succession of clicks. "I mean, what are the chances of that? First we get run off the road by the biggest elk I've ever seen, we hit a tree, the air bags fail to inflate, and then the car won't start. Talk about Murphy's Law. If I didn't know better I'd think we were still in Atlantis. Wait, you don't think this could be some elaborate scheme by the Wraith or even the Replicators?"

Noticing the panic in his voice and his dilated pupils, Jen was afraid that he was on the verge of a panic attack. And she said as calmly as possible. "We destroyed the Replicators."

"Yeah, we _think_. I mean those guys really are cockroaches. Just when you think-"

Jennifer cut off the rambling man mid-sentence with a forceful kiss. Pulling back slowly she asked, "Did that feel real?"

She watched in amusement as Rodney opened and closed his lips a few times before he could regain control of his mouth. "Yeah."

"Well, alright then. Now think. You are Dr. Rodney McKay. The smartest man in two galaxies. How are you going to get us out of this?"

Staring at her open-mouthed, something clicked in Rodney's brain. He reached up and turned on the interior light so that it filled the car with a soft light. "The car battery isn't dead otherwise this light wouldn't turn on. Yet, the engine won't turn over. If we could pop the trunk and get a good look at it, then we might discover that it's only a problem with the wiring. I might just be able to fix that."

Jen took a look at the smashed in hood of the car and then back at Rodney. Knowing what was coming she watched him reach for the hood release and press. There was a tiny 'pop' noise, but the hood failed to raise more than a centimeter.

"At least it moved." Jennifer noted with the same stubborn look on her face she had every time she was faced with a challenge.

"So, do you want to go try to pry that open or shall I?"

"Rock, paper, scissors?"

"No, I'll go." Rodney announced, trying to play the gallant hero. He had barely started to get out of the car when Jen moved with him. "I said I'll go."

"Oh come on, I'm not going to let you stand out in the cold all by yourself. Besides, you're the one with the head injury. If you pass out, what am I going to do then?"

"I thought you said I was going to be fine," he snapped indignantly.

Ignoring him, Keller stepped out of the car. What she noticed first was that it was much colder than it had been than when she went to retrieve the first aid kit. Hugging her jacket tighter around her, she noticed that the wind had picked up. Her companion barely seemed affected by the temperature however. Then she remembered he was a natural born Canadian who had spent years in Russia and then Antarctica. He probably didn't notice the cold unless it dropped below freezing.

Said man with cold immunity was now physically attempting to pull up the hood of the car. Jen joined him in the effort and they were rewarded with a great wrenching noise as the severely dented hood was disconnected from the tree trunk.

"Now let's see what we're dealing with…" Rodney began, trailing off as he studied the engine. His look of concentration reminded Jennifer of the times she would visit him in the lab only to discover that he was deeply absorbed in some Ancient artifact or another.

"How's it look doctor?" she asked, sensing the irony of asking a PhD for the prognosis of a car.

"Shit," was the most revealing answer.

Jen frowned, watching Rodney trace a red wire with his eyes. She was about to ask what was wrong when she spotted the problem. The wire was cut in half, not a clean slice, but as if it had be gnawed on.

"This," Rodney began, "is the wire connecting the ignition to the starter, and without it the car isn't going anywhere."

"I don't suppose you could fix it."

"Maybe if it was sliced, but…"

"How far did you say it was to your cabin?" She already knew the answer, but finally acknowledging that maybe they would have to walk the rest of the way.

His face fell in a most characteristic manner, "About fifteen miles."

"I don't suppose we could hitchhike?" she asked hopefully. "No, well it's two-thirty now," she though a moment, "we could be there by six." She smiled at the disgruntled man in front of her. "How's that for an adventure?"

"More like misery. The sun is going to set around four. We've barely got sunlight left and the temperature is only going to drop from now until then. Look you're already shivering. Let's get back in the car."

She did as told, her spirits falling as she realized the situation they were in."

Once back in the marginally warmer car Rodney turned the key to the first position and cranked the heater up. "At least the battery isn't dead." He pulled the phone back out of the cup holder only to toss it back in again a second later.

They sat in silence for a few moments until Jen couldn't take it anymore. "What's the plan?"

He glanced at her, knowing that they couldn't sit around in the car forever. Eventually they would have to take action. "We walk."

"I thought you said the sun was going to be setting soon." He could feel her studying him. "What aren't you telling me?"

Exhaling slowly he said, "There's a shortcut. The road is so curvy that it is a lot further to drive than to walk."

"How long is this shortcut?"

He didn't miss the hesitation in her voice. She knew him too well to hide the fact that he'd never actually taken the shortcut before. She also knew he had a lousy sense of direction.

"A little less than three miles, I'd guess."

"That's great!"

But before Jen could get too excited Rodney cut her off. "But I've never actually tried to walk it before. I mean I could get us totally and completely lost. And if we don't get there in the next hour and a half it'll be dark. Not to mention we'll be hopelessly screwed."

Feeling Rodney's anxiety Jen shot him one of the most encouraging smiles she could muster. "I have complete faith in you. If we're going to make it before the sun sets we better start now, hadn't we?"

"Wait, aren't you just a little concerned we'll get lost? The only reason I don't get completely turned around on missions is because of the team. I mean I can't always figure out where I'm going even with a life signs detector. One wrong turn out here and we're bear food."

Not heartened by this admission, yet not willing to let that show, Jen smiled again. Then leaning forward so that she was inches from his ear she whispered, "I love you and I trust you. That's all I need right now." She kissed him again, softly this time and long enough for him to get the message.

"Have I ever mentioned that I shot a bear once?" Rodney smiled at her incredulous expression. "Well, it was a BB gun on accident." He turned off the engine and exited the car so fast that he made it around to the passenger side before Jennifer had time to react. Opening the door for her, he had a thought. "Did you bring another jacket, it wouldn't hurt to have something in case we do end up, um, wandering for awhile."

After a quick rummage through the trunk for warmer clothes and raiding the shopping bags for snacks, Rodney and Jennifer were ready for what they hoped would be a quick walk through the woods. They stood outside the car for a moment, Jen waiting for the self proclaimed hopeless case for directions to determine which way they should head.

After a minute she prodded him. "Shall we get going?"

"Yes, right," Rodney agreed yet didn't move. Holding up his index finger he pointed vaguely to the right. "That way."

"You're sure?"

Adopting a stunned expression he responded, "I thought you said you trusted me."

Jen frowned, "Yes, I'm sorry. Lead the way doctor."

"Thank you doctor," he nodded at her jokingly and started off.

About ten minutes into the trek, Rodney stopped in mid stride nearly causing Jen to collide with his back. "You didn't happen to grab-"

Knowing exactly what was coming Keller pulled a compact flashlight out of her pocket and finished his question "the flashlight?"

"Have I ever mentioned that you are a genius?"

"Hmm, I don't think so." Jen smirked at him and leaned into the one armed hug she suddenly found herself in. "Mmm, that's nice," she murmured contentedly against his side.

Rodney was struck then by how lucky he was to have a woman like Jennifer. She was compassionate, unbelievably patient, not to mention beautiful. "What did I do?"

"What?" The woman in his arms stared up confused.

"What did I do in a past life to deserve you? How can you stand me let alone love me?"

From a man not prone to talking about 'feelings' Jen was taken aback by this profusion of questions. They had stopped moving at this point and she could feel the wind blowing her hair and stinging her nose. Wondering what had brought this on and wondering how he didn't already know, she tried to voice what it was that made her love him. "You're confident. You know what you want… You're passionate about what's important to you, maybe to a fault. I trust you and I know you would never hurt me, at least not on purpose." She reached up to gently tilt his head so that she could look straight into his blue eyes. "When I first came to Atlantis I was in over my head. Carson had left very large shoes to fill. He had gained all of Atlantis' trust and I came in as someone that no one knew. But people were expected to put their life in my hands. I was scared every day. I even thought about quitting. But then I got to know you and you were so arrogant," Rodney groaned but she kept going, "and brilliant. And I thought that if I could just be more like you I'd be able to make it. You were my inspiration."

"Really? _I_ was your inspiration?"

"Yep, you." Jen poked him in the chest emphatically. "But I may become less inspired if you let us freeze out here." She'd meant it jokingly, but couldn't help but notice his expression fall slightly as he once again realized how much pressure he was under to keep both of them safe.

Rodney began moving again, this time grabbing her gloved hand in his. "You know I was thinking… I can't possibly be under Replicator control. I've never had this good of a time when one of their hands was inside my head."

Jen laughed along with him, glad that he was acting normally. She had been afraid that her admission would scare him off, but he seemed to be taking it all in stride.

The next half hour passed uneventfully. Except for periodic stops for McKay to determine which way to go, and more often than not adjust their heading, the only other noteworthy event was the appearance of an elk. Jen spotted it first, pointing it out to Rodney in an "Ooh, isn't he beautiful?" kind of way that had Rodney vehemently yelling at the animal until it galloped back into the trees. Keller admonished him for this behavior only to be told it was probably the same one that had forced him off the road in the first place. Jen sighed realizing Rodney wasn't likely to be making friends with any elk in the foreseeable future.

As the light dimmed around them Jen was, for the first time, really beginning to get worried. Rodney stopped stock still beside her.

"Do you smell that?"

She sniffed the air. "What?"

"Water." She watched in amusement as he ran forward through a clump of trees and just as he disappeared behind a bush she heard an almighty crash and an even louder cuss.

Hastening forward, she rounded the bush to find the infinitely arrogant Rodney McKay flat on his ass in a puddle of muddy water. Whatever she had been expecting, it wasn't this and before she could stop herself she had burst out laughing.

"Ha ha, very funny," his voice was stony, but his face betrayed him as his lips turned up into a smile. "Now help me up."

Once Rodney was righted again, Jen had time to look around. Through the tree line she could make out the telltale shine of light reflecting off of water. "You didn't mention that there was a lake up here."

He shrugged, "It's more of a pond really."

"So how close is this pond to the cabin?"

Rodney turned to her smirking. "About a two minute drive."

"Hey that's great! You found the way. I knew you could do it."

"Yes, yes." Rodney was actually pretty surprised that he had been able to find the way. Now if he could just figure out where the cabin…

"Which way?"

His girlfriend would know exactly what he was thinking. He stared right, then left, then right again. "Um."

He didn't need to look to know exactly what look Jen was giving him. "Rodney?"

"I just need to get out of these trees. Then I'll know."

Jen followed him to the shore, he _sounded_ confident enough. When she reached the edge of the pond, all thoughts of being lost were pushed from her mind by the scenery before her eyes. "Wow."

The sun was just setting behind the trees on the other side of the lake. The sun was the color of a freshly blossomed rose. Its pink hue was reflected in the still water as a perfect mirror. The dark trees on the opposite bank contrasted perfectly with the soft light from the dying sun.

"I never thought I'd see a sunset that rivaled the ones on Atlantis." Rodney whispered into her ear, as if afraid to break the spell cast by Mother Nature.

Jen didn't know how long they stood like that, just reveling in the beauty surrounding them. But Rodney eventually nudged her shoulder and pointed, letting her know that he had finally discerned the way home.

"Are you sure?" She asked, knowing that he was. She only wanted reassurance.

He seemed to understand this and didn't complain, but simply nodded.

When they started moving again, it had become dark, too dark to see without the aid of the flashlight. Jen flicked it on, shining it onto the frosted ground. The small halo it illuminated left shadows in the trees, and each time she took a step, she could swear something had moved just out of her range of vision.

Rodney felt a hand grip his. Even though the temperature had severely dropped since the sun had gone down, Jennifer's palm was sweaty. He turned to look at her questioningly and knew that she understood what he was asking, even in the dark.

"I'm thinking about that night when I had to take care of that little girl. I haven't thought about it in awhile, but the darkness and the trees… it's bringing back memories." Her voice was steady, even though Rodney could tell she was scared. He gave her hand a quick squeeze.

"Don't worry, we're almost there now. I can tell. These trees are starting to look familiar."

Beside him, Jen exhaled slowly. Rodney did a quick calculation in his head. "I must have seen over a hundred thousand trees in my life, and still I know these."

Rodney involuntarily had a flashback of the time he was nine and Jeannie had begged him to climb a tree. He'd refused point blank, until of course she had suggested that he was too scared. He'd let her berate him for nearly two days before, not being able to be called a sissy one more time, he'd picked the biggest tree he could find and climbed. He'd nearly reached the top before, curiosity getting a hold of him, he'd looked down. He'd never quite forgotten the feeling of his stomach dropping out of his body. It had only taken one scream for Jeannie to go running to their father so he could get a ladder. He'd been teased mercilessly about that for years…

A joyful gasp broke off his train of thoughts.

"Rodney, it's so perfect." Beside him, Jennifer relaxed as she marveled at the four room log cabin nestled perfectly between the pines and firs. The snow gave it all a surreal look like the picture on a postcard. Nearly forgetting the biting cold and the fact that they'd been lost moments ago, Rodney wrapped an arm around the woman next to him. He wondered if he'd ever stop being amazed at how much he loved her.

Jen, the more practical of the two, pulled away from him enough to grab his hand so that she could drag him to the front door. As soon as he had unlocked the front door, Rodney switched on the light, illuminating the small kitchen.

He barely had time to take in the cream counters and pine cabinets before he felt lips on his and hands in his hair. This kiss was not like the ones earlier in the day, but more fervent and full of emotion. When his senses returned, at least marginally, he pulled back slowly. Jen's brown eyes were filled with desired.

"I'll be right back," he promised, surprised at how husky his voice sounded. Quickly he turned into the hallway and spun the thermostat dial toward max. He also grabbed a dark blue quilt from the closet before returning to the kitchen. Jen had her back to him as she rummaged through the cabinets.

She turned when he entered the room, "Mugs? I wanted to make hot chocolate."

"That can wait." He kissed her again, more slowly this time as he steered them towards the couch. What had started as a controlled kiss had become largely uncontrolled and they knocked over more than one item on their way into the living room. Jen giggled against his mouth as they plopped down onto the cushions and Rodney couldn't help but smile.

An hour ago he'd assumed that when they reached the house, if they reached it at all, they'd curl up and roast marshmallows in the fireplace. But what he hadn't planned for turned out so much better.


End file.
